Indonesia Offers Peacemaking Role in Russia-Ukraine War

KOMPAS/KRIS RAZIANTO MADA

The President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, met at the Mariinsky Palace, Kyiv on Wednesday (29/6/2022).

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is set to deliver a message of peace from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

KYIV, KOMPAS — While offering the country to be a peacemaker to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, Indonesia has also urged the lifting of export bans to allow various commodities from the two countries to enter the international market.

President Jokowi communicated his offer to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting at Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday (29/6/2022).

Zelenskyy received Jokowi at 3:15 p.m. local time, and the two heads of state engaged in bilateral talks for nearly an hour. "I offered to carry a message [of peace] from President Zelenskyy to President Putin, who I will be visiting later," he said.

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Jokowi’s flight to Moscow is scheduled to depart on Thursday (30/6), with President Putin to receive him at the presidential office in the Kremlin. Before leaving Kyiv, President Jokowi, accompanied by Foreign Minister Retno L.P. Marsudi and Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, agreed to an interview with Kompas. The President said he was visiting Ukraine and Russia to seek common ground between the two countries’ interests in the hope of ending the war.

Concerns about the food crisis were expected to lead the two countries to reach common ground. "Tomorrow [Thursday], we are meeting with President Putin. We are going to convey the same thing [to him] in order to find common ground. This is important. The interests [of both countries] should be accommodated and there should be common ground," the President said.

The President and his entourage traveled by a special train to Ukraine. They left Kyiv on Wednesday afternoon and returned to Poland, from where the President departs for Moscow.

Meanwhile, when he met with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, he wore a long-sleeved army jacket.

Zelenskyy wore a long-sleeved shirt when receiving Jokowi. In his past meetings with heads of state and other dignitaries, he wore a long-sleeved or short-sleeved army shirt, such as when he received the leaders of Italy, France, Germany and Romania on 17 June. Meanwhile, when he met with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, he wore a long-sleeved army jacket.

At Wednesday's meeting, Jokowi wore a long-sleeved white shirt. Both leaders wore their shirts with the sleeves rolled up. They also wore sports shoes, Jokowi donning a black pair with white stripes and Zelenskyy sporting a green pair.

KOMPAS/KRIS MADA

The President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, presented the results of their meeting at the Mariinsky Palace, Kyiv on Wednesday (29/6/2022).

Since the war broke out on 24 Feb., Zelenskyy has been rarely seen in a formal shirt. At the several international forums he attended virtually, he wore a long-sleeved green T-shirt. Government officials, civilians, and noncombatant military personnel wearing T-shirts has been a common sight in Ukraine.

The casual attire appears to represent the emergency situation currently gripping the country. A state of vigilance is everywhere, including in press rooms, where on-duty military personnel carry guns and sport vests containing several rifle magazines. They do not carry rifles.

Zelenskyy appreciated Jokowi's visit, the first by an Asian leader since war broke out in the country. The visit was important to show Indonesia’s empathy for Ukraine.

Zelenskyy viewed that Indonesia currently had a significant position due to several factors. In addition to holding the current presidency of the Group of Twenty (G20), Indonesia is set to take over the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN next year. He said both organizations had equally strategic roles.

Invitation to G20 Summit

Zelenskyy said he was grateful that President Jokowi had invited him to the G20 Bali Summit in November. "I am very grateful, Mr. President, for inviting me to attend the meeting in person," he said.

"Of course, I accept this invitation,” he said, adding that Ukraine's presence would depend on the security conditions in Ukraine and the composition of the meeting’s participants.

Zelenskyy also expressed hope for Indonesia's support in the efforts to end Russia’s sea blockade to open up trade routes. The war was hampering Ukrainian exports because merchant ships were unable to dock at the country’s two main ports.

Particularly in Odesa, the shipping route was also hampered by a Ukrainian warship that was sunk by Russian forces and had run aground, blocking the entrance to Odesa Port.

Jokowi said Ukraine and Russia should clear all export barriers immediately. "It is important for all parties to provide security guarantees for the smooth shipment of Ukrainian food crops through seaports. I support the United Nations' efforts in this regard," he said.

They inspected the ruins of the Lypky apartment blocks, one of the buildings destroyed by Russian missiles in the early days of the war.

Before meeting with Zelenskyy, President Jokowi, First Lady Iriana and other members of the president’s entourage headed to Irpin, a small town around 30 kilometers from the capital city, Kyiv. They inspected the ruins of the Lypky apartment blocks, one of the buildings destroyed by Russian missiles in the early days of the war.

From Irpin, the entourage returned to Kyiv and visited a hospital, which is also Ukraine’s center for endocrine surgery and organ transplants. Jokowi met with several doctors and symbolically handed over humanitarian assistance in the form of medicines and medical equipment to Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Liashko and hospital director Oleksandr Tovkai. The President and the First Lady also visited war victims and on-duty medics.

AP/ALEXEI ALEXANDROV/AZ

People wave Russian national flags to celebrate, in the center of Donetsk, the territory controlled by pro-Russian militants, eastern Ukraine, late Monday, Feb. 21, 2022. In a fast-moving political theater, Russian President Vladimir Putin has moved quickly to recognize the independence of separatist regions in eastern Ukraine in a show of defiance against the West amid fears of Russian invasion in Ukraine.

At home, President Jokowi's Ukraine and Russia visits have been hailed as a good occasion for Indonesia to send its message of peace to the world.

Position of trust

Dewi Fortuna Anwar, a political science professor at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), said that as a neutral country with no political ties with either Ukraine or Russia, Indonesia was trusted by the two warring countries.

Muhadi Sugiono, an international relations lecturer at Gadjah Mada University, pointed out that Indonesia was in a position to embrace both sides of the war and invite them to sit down together.

“Western countries have taken the stance of isolating and punishing Russia. China is supporting Russia. Indonesia is exercising the wisdom [of neutrality] by refraining from taking either stance, because we have learned from history," he said DNE/CAS/DIA)

(This article was translated by Musthofid)